TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
T-Mobile | September 26, 2022
Airplane mode has a whole new meaning for T-Mobile customers flying United. Starting eligible T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) customers now get free in-flight Wi-Fi and streaming, where available, on select domestic and short-haul international United flights. As the newest addition to Coverage Beyond — T-Mobile’s latest Un-carrier move — United joins American, Alaska and Delta airlines in providing Un-carrier customers with the ability to text, email, search and stream all flight long where available, now on four of the biggest U.S. airlines.“Now, T-Mobile customers can stay connected from takeoff to landing and beyond on hundreds more flights, now including United Airlines!” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “This latest expansion of Coverage Beyond is all part of our goal to keep customers connected even outside the signal of our network, and we’re on a nonstop mission to find new ways to make that happen.”
After one of the biggest summer travel seasons in recent years, the trend is expected to continue this fall and through the holiday season, with more than a third of Americans planning to take a trip in the next three months. And T-Mobile will take the hassle and worry out of customers’ travel plans, keeping them connected on the road, in the air and overseas.
“Whether it’s for business or leisure, we know staying connected in the air is important, and we’re excited many of T-Mobile’s customers will experience our free inflight Wi-Fi on their phones when flying United,” said Grant Milstead, United’s Vice President of Digital Technology. “With the free in-flight coverage, customers can take advantage of Wi-Fi to text their family and friends or browse their favorite sites and apps.”
T-Mobile’s industry-leading travel benefits are just part of what makes now the best time to be a T-Mobile customer. In addition to free Wi-Fi where available and high-speed data abroad, Magenta MAX customers also get Apple TV+ on Us, Netflix on Us, a free year of AAA on Us, Scam Shield Premium and more that adds up to $225 in free perks every month for families – and that’s just a bonus on top of getting access to the nation’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. At T-Mobile, customers come for the service and stay for the perks – and the Un-carrier won’t stop finding new extras to give them.
As part of Coverage Beyond, customers also get 5GB of free high-speed data each month in 215+ countries and destinations on Magenta MAX, Business Unlimited Ultimate and equivalent Sprint plans. And yes, that includes up to 5G speeds where available. Customers will also get unlimited 256kbps connectivity in all those places, plus free connection all flight long on four eligible flights of their choice per year, with a free hour for every eligible flight after that on Magenta, Business Unlimited Advanced and equivalent Sprint plans. The bottom line? Everyone wins. And this is all in addition to 5GB of high-speed data every month and free calling and texting for Magenta, Magenta MAX and eligible T-Mobile for Business customers in Mexico and Canada.
Coverage Beyond launches on United’s 737s, MAX8s, MAX9s, select 757-300s and select A319s with Wi-Fi supported by Viasat and Thales InFlyt Experience with more flights and Wi-Fi partners to be added soon. To learn more about T-Mobile’s travel benefits, visit t-mobile.com/travel. For more information on T-Mobile for Business travel benefits, head to http://t-mobile.com/business/plans/travel-benefits.
Follow T-Mobile’s Official Twitter Newsroom @TMobileNews to stay up to date with the latest company news.
International Roaming in Simple Global Destinations: Up to 5GB of high-speed data per month with MAX plans; available in 11 European countries with Magenta plans. In-flight Wi-Fi: Unlimited where available on select U.S. airlines with MAX plans; 4 full-flight sessions per year with Magenta plans. 5G: Capable device required; coverage not available in some areas. Some uses may require certain plan or feature; see T-Mobile.com. Fastest: Based on median, overall combined 5G speeds according to analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 5G download speeds for Q2 2022. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. Most Reliable: According to an audit report conducted by independent third-party umlaut containing crowdsourced data for user experience including task completion collected from November 2021 to May 2022. Full details at: www.umlaut.com/en/benchmarking/USA.
About T-Mobile
T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Optii | September 29, 2022
Optii Solutions, the leading cloud-based hotel operations software, announced an integration with the Opera Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP). The new integration will make it easier, faster, and more cost-effective for hoteliers to manage their integration between Optii and Oracle Cloud PMS.When implementing a modern technology solution like Optii, that is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), integrations matter. When seeking to use hotel operations technology to increase productivity, reduce cost, and improve the guest experience, time is of the essence. The faster a solution like Optii can become operational, the faster the benefits are realized for hotel teams, their guests, and hotel owners. The integration with OHIP will address exactly this for Opera Cloud PMS hotel customers.
Dino Pietropaolo, CTO of Optii Solutions said, Not only will this integration save Opera Cloud PMS customers time and money when choosing to transform their hotel operation with Optii, they will also get the latest in API technology and a high level of security with fine grained OAuth 2.0 on all APIs.
The self serve aspect of Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform will mean a lot more flexibility and autonomy for hoteliers and for Optii. The typical integration between hotel technology applications and a hotel PMS requires work on both the technology application side and the PMS, while with OHIP, hotelier and technology providers such as Optii can manage the integration process without Oracle participation.
“At Optii, customer success is everything. But when delays in integration happen, the time-to-value for our customers is impacted and often the mitigation is out of our control. With OHIP, together with our customer, we are in the driver’s seat and have full control of the process and timeline. This helps our customers realize their goals quicker. We are very excited to start offering OHIP integration to our customers in the coming weeks!”
-Katherine Grass, CEO of Optii Solutions
About Optii Solutions
Optii Solutions is a hotel operations solution that leverages smarter technologies such as artificial intelligence, analytics, messaging and mobility to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of housekeeping and service delivery departments. For further information, please visit: www.optiisolutions.com.
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COMMERCIAL TRAVEL,INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Travel Insured International | September 27, 2022
Travel Insured International is pleased to announce a new partnership with Blue Ribbon Bags, a leader in travel luggage retrieval. Travel Insured joins Blue Ribbon Bags' growing list of industry partners seeking to provide a better experience for their travelers. As a travel protection provider with plans containing insurance benefits for lost and delayed baggage, we're excited to offer this service to our customers throThis non-insurance service provided by Blue Ribbon Bags will be available to clients of large tour operators working with Travel Insured. Because each Travel Insured plan features insured benefits for Baggage and Personal Effects, Travel Insured can provide eligible payment up to a maximum benefit amount if baggage and personal effects are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed during the trip or while checked with a common carrier. The added service of Blue Ribbon Bags will assist travelers in tracking their baggage claim via text.
"Our job is to make that process a little bit better and to keep that communication with the customer as smooth as possible," says Menkin. With assistance from Blue Ribbon Bags, plan holders will also receive intermediary support in pursuing their lost baggage, which can be a tedious and time-consuming process."
-Blue Ribbon Bags CEO, Gabriel Menkin, understands that airlines are doing their best to keep up with lost baggage claims.
When somebody has a lost bag, we are sending them real time email, SMS, and WhatsApp notifications every time there's a change to the status of their bag, says Menkin. Travelers will be empowered to track the progress of their lost baggage claim and receive notifications to stay informed every step of the way. For the first 96 hours, Blue Ribbon Bags will track and expedite the return of a traveler's lost bag. If the bag is not recovered, the traveler can file a claim against their Travel Insured protection plan for their lost or delayed baggage and personal effects.
Travel Insured partners with large tour operators that provide travel packages to customers, which can include air travel, ground transportation, local tours, and other services at one or more locations per trip. For travelers with varied trip types and multiple destinations on their itineraries, baggage protection may be more important than ever.
"This partnership comes at a time when the travel industry is facing unique obstacles in transportation, like significant increases in lost baggage claims from top airlines, We're always seeking innovative ways to enhance our programs, so we're eager to offer this baggage tracking service to our wholesale customers. We strive to help travelers feel confident before, during, and after their trip."
-Isaac Cymrot, VP of Strategic Partnerships
About Travel Insured International
As a leading travel insurance provider with more than 25 years in business, Travel Insured International provides trip protection to help each individual travel confidently. Travel Insured is owned by Crum & Forster whose parent company is Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., an insurance specialty company that consistently earns an A credit rating from AM Best. We're proud to partner with tour operators and help them to offer extensive travel protection with major travel insurance benefits as well as non-insurance assistance services. At Travel Insured, we remain steadfast in the commitment to providing dependable coverage, great value, and end-to-end satisfaction for our customers' travel insurance experience.ugh our plans to help ensure expedition of luggage claims through any major airline in the world.
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